This & That: Quakes notes for Oct. 29, 2012

The San Jose Earthquakes (19-6-9, 66 pts.) will hit the road for the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal, presented by Kaiser Permanente, on Sunday, Nov. 4. San Jose will face the winner of a knockout game between the LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Thursday, Nov. 1 at The Home Depot Center (7:30 p.m. PT / NBC Sports) - in the Western Conference Semifinal.

First Home Playoff Game Sold Out; Game Two Now on Sale
The club’s first home playoff game is sold out, but tickets are still available for the Western Conference Final, presented by Kaiser Permanente. Fans can make a purchase by visiting www.sjearthquakes.com or calling 1-800-225-2277. To purchase groups of 10 or more or for more information, fans should call the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700.

Earthquakes to Host Western Conference Semifinal Viewing Party at San Pedro Market
The Earthquakes will host a viewing party for their first leg of the Western Conference Semifinal at San Pedro Market in Downtown San Jose on Sunday, Nov. 4. The time is TBD based on which opponent the club plays – Vancouver Whitecaps FC or the LA Galaxy. All fans in attendance will receive Western Conference Semifinal giveaway items: blue rally wig and “Never Say Die” headband. The club will also raffle off tickets to the sold-out match on Nov. 7 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Wondolowski Ties MLS Single Season Goals Record
Chris Wondolowski’s 24th-minute penalty against the Portland Timbers on Sunday tied Roy Lassiter for the MLS single-season record for goals (27). Wondolowski scored five goals in San Jose’s final three games to match the mark.

Wondolowski Wins Second Budweiser Golden Boot
Chris Wondolowski won his second career Budweiser Golden Boot on Sunday, outdistancing Real Salt Lake’s Alvaro Saborio by nine goals to secure the honor. Wondolowski’s 27 goals tied the MLS record for a single season. He also won the Budweiser Golden Boot in 2010, one-upping LA Galaxy striker Edson Buddle with 18.

2012 Chris Wondolowski Miletones
Chris Wondolowski had one of the best seasons of any player in league history with 27 goals and seven assists. He left his mark in club and league record books in a big way:
-Tied MLS record for goals in a single season with 27
-Broke MLS record for game-winning goals in a season with 11
-Won second career Budweiser Golden Boot by nine goals, the second-widest margin in MLS history behind Mamadou Diallo’s gap of 10 in 2000
-Surpassed Ronald Cerritos on the club’s all-time goals list with 64
-Six multi-goal games were third most in MLS history for a single season, established new club record
-First person to win three MLS Player of the Month awards and a favorite to take the award in October
-10th player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals in a single season
-First player in MLS history to outscore an entire team during the course of a season, tallying 27 times to Chivas USA’s 24
-Involved in 34 Earthquakes goals (27 scored, seven assists), the most by any player in MLS history
-Led MLS in shots on goal with 55
-Finished the season second in MLS with a 0.86 goals-per-90-minutes-played rate
-Seven assists more than doubled his previous career high

2012 Club Milestones
The 2012 season was a banner year for the Earthquakes. Here’s a glance at the records and milestones achieved during the campaign:
-Took home the club’s second Supporters’ Shield and first since 2005
-Set a new club mark for points in a season with 66, two more than the previous mark of 64 from 2005
-Tied Quakes record for wins in a season with 19, matching the club’s 1999 output (Note: 10 wins in 1999 came via shootout and only nine in regulation)
-Shattered club mark for goals in a season with 72, 17 more than the previous mark of 55 from 1997; that total is No. 3 in MLS history and the highest since 1998
-Led MLS in team goals scored for the first time in club history
-Broke MLS record for second-half stoppage-time goals in a season with eight
-40 goals after the 60th minute and 22 after the 75th minute rank second in MLS history while establishing new club benchmarks
-Tied club record for road wins in a season with nine, matching 2005 output
-Set MLS record for largest leap in wins from one season to the next with 11, one more than the 1999 MetroStars and 2009 New York Red Bulls
-28-point improvement from 2011 to 2012 (38 to 66) ranks fourth in MLS history
-Only shut out twice during the entire season, breaking the club record of three from 1997
-Most team multi-goal games in a season since 2000 with 21
-Veteran defender Ramiro Corrales became the last player remaining from Major League Soccer’s inaugural 1996 season

Quakes, Kaiser Permanente Ink MLS Cup Playoff Partnership
The Earthquakes and Kaiser Permanente announced a presenting sponsorship agreement for the Western Conference Semifinal and Final last week. Kaiser Permanente also works with the club to present the Get Earthquakes Fit program, a five-week initiative designed for third- and fourth- grade students to be more active.

Wondolowski, Bernardez, Salinas Earn Club Awards
The Earthquakes unveiled their team awards last week during a banquet presented by Franco Uomo, the official fashion designer of the club. The recipients included: Chris Wondolowski for Most Valuable Player, Victor Bernardez for Defender of the Year and Shea Salinas for Humanitarian of the Year. Each award winner received a free tailored suit courtesy of Franco Uomo.

Ending on an Unbeaten Note
The Earthquakes ended the regular season on a nine-game unbeaten streak, ticking off a 5-0-4 clip since dropping a 3-1 road match against the Montreal Impact on Aug. 18. San Jose outscored opponents 24-11 during the stretch.

Biggest Turnarounds
The Earthquakes improved by 28 points and 11 wins from their 2011 season, one of the best turnarounds in MLS history. The 28-point difference from 2011 to 2012 is fourth on the MLS all-time list, 11 behind the 1999 MetroStars. Meanwhile, the Earthquakes’ 11 additional wins this season rank No. 1 all-time, one-upping the 1999 MetroStars and 2009 New York Red Bulls.

Top of the League
The Earthquakes finished the regular season No. 1 in MLS with 72 goals scored and 73 assists. With 43 goals conceded, the Quakes also topped the league with a +29 goal differential. Additionally, San Jose led the league with 44 second-half goals and a +23 goal differential in the second half.

Three-Headed Monster
Earthquakes forwards Chris Wondolowski (27), Alan Gordon (13) and Steven Lenhart (10) are the first trio from the same team to score 10 or more goals in a season since 2002. Additionally, those three have accounted for more goals (50) than every MLS team except for the LA Galaxy (59), New York Red Bulls (57), D.C. United (53) and Seattle Sounders FC (51). Their haul combined is the most by three players in club history, 17 more than the previous San Jose benchmark set in 1996. The last time the Quakes had three players score 10 goals in a season was 1997 when Ronald Cerritos (12), Lawrence Lozzano (10) and Jeff Baicher (10) all reached double digits.

Efficient Scorers
Alan Gordon and Chris Wondolowski led MLS in goals per 90 minutes among players with at least 1,000 minutes logged in 2012. Gordon scored an amazing clip of 0.90 goals per 90 minutes while Wondolowski closed 2012 next on the list with a 0.86 rate. Toronto FC forward Danny Koevermans finished third at 0.68.

Wells Fargo Goals for Education
Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2012 through the Goals for Education program. With 72 goals through 33 games, the donated total for this season already stands at $18,000. Thanks to 40 goals in 2011, the partnership raised $10,000 for local youth soccer and athletic development programs a year ago.